The Manitoba Craft Council (MCC) is joining forces with the Manitoba Crafts Museum and Library (MCML) to build a beautiful new home for craft in Manitoba, the C2 Centre for Craft. Located in an historic building at the south end of the Exchange District, the 3,025 sq ft facility will include an exhibition gallery, shop, library, museum and workshop space featuring the best of contemporary and historical craft this province has to offer. Set to open in 2017, this new space at 329 Cumberland Ave will allow the MCC to deepen its roots and create a permanent place from which to promote and support contemporary craft and its makers in Manitoba – a welcoming, professional and creative space where a wider public can see, touch, and experience craft in its myriad forms.

With this new space comes the opportunity to develop a regular, year-round schedule of educational programming for our members and the wider community. The role of the Workshop Coordinator will be to develop and launch MCC’s Craft Ed educational workshop programme.

The focus of the development phase of this project will be on:

-assessing the skills, needs and desires of MCC members.

(ie. creating a list of potential workshop facilitators including their areas of expertise and possible course offerings; exploring what the professional development needs of our members are)

-assessing the interests and needs of the wider community.

(ie. what kind of workshop opportunities are people seeking; what other organizations may want to partner with us on presenting workshops)

-documenting and evaluating what craft-related educational opportunities and models are already in place in Manitoba.

(ie. what media and techniques are already being covered by other organizations and businesses; where are the gaps; what type of educational experiences are working well in our community)

-building a procedural framework for planning and coordinating MCC’s educational programmes on an on- going basis.

(ie. how artists/workshops are selected for inclusion in the programme; what type of activities can be accommodated in the C2 space; how student registrations are managed; policies on artist fees and pricing of workshops)

-integrating the CraftEd workshop series into the overall C2 marketing plan -planning and promoting the 2017-2018 workshop series.

Anticipated Results

The development of CraftEd workshops at the C2 Centre for Craft strives to have a positive impact on the facility, on the MCC and its membership, and on the general public. For C2, workshops will bring people into the space, provide the MCC with a new source of earned revenue, and be part of creating a more sophisticated audience/market for contemporary craft.

For MCC members, workshops will be another opportunity to share their skills, earn additional revenue, build their knowledge through master classes, and increase their public profile. For a general public eager to engage with craft on a very practical, hands-on level, CraftEd workshops will provide a rich learning environment, access to skilled facilitators, and a chance to learn new craft techniques and experiment with materials. As with all MCC programming, attention will be given to extending CraftEd workshops to rural and northern regions through partnerships with local arts and cultural organizations.

Application Process

Please submit a resume with 3 references and cover letter to the Manitoba Craft Council via email to submissions@manitobacraft.ca with subject line “Workshop Coordinator Application”.

Please contact Jessica Hodgson, Administrative and Programme Assistant at info@manitobacraft.ca with any questions.

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Category Archives: Blog

05.06.17

Authored by Manitoba Craft Council

Thanks to Matt and Rudy for hosting a beautiful day of demonstrations by Mark Pearce at Cloverdale Forge this past weekend for Forge and Forum!

This is the second year we have partnered with Cloverdale Forge to bring you the annual Forge and Forum workshop, which provides information and tips that blacksmiths at any stage of learning can use to improve their skills. This year’s demonstrator was Mark Pearce of Mystic Forge.

It was amazing to see the growing enthusiasm for the age old practice of Blacksmithing in this province with an eclectic and attentive crowd. Mark’s skill and knowledge of the material was inspiring and he demonstrated with the confidence of someone who knows their craft intimately. It was a real pleasure to take part in this event. Forge on!